Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-20
SPANISH MOSS FACTORY.
This Fort Worth Institution Now
Under Way and all the Fine Ma
ehinery Moving Smoothly.
Employ msnt Given to a Number of Girls
and Boys and Our Retail Trade
Bonsf ed.

Several months ago two or three OF our
public spirited citizens set on foot q
move to establish in this city the only
Spanish mess manufacturing enterprise
in the United States. Moss horse collars
had been successfully made st Calvert in
this state, and the patentee of the process
was induced 20 come to Fort Worth
to locate. Without much trouble
stock company was organized and char
ter obtained. The machinery necessary
for the work wss complicated and was rot
made by any Of the eastern manufacturers,
so that some time was required before
the proper machinery, according to the
company's specifications, was ready.
During the past week it has all been put
in place, the forces organized and the
work of manufacturing has commenced.
GAZETTE reporter on yesterday visited
the works and found everything active
and the enterprise under full headWay
General Manager P Moore kindly es-
corted THE GAZETTE reporter through
the extensive establishment and turned
him over to Mr.. James Clark, recentlY
from New York, who has charge
OF the preparatory department
The first room entered was
the storeroom where three car loses Of
Spanish moss just rec lived from Louisi-
ana was piled up. From this room one
enters the ginning room, where the moss
is loosened and particles OF foreign mat
ter taken out. Mkt comes large card
ing machine, through VIII Oh the moss is
paSssas coming out in long pieces,
which are passed into several open
headed b. xes. These boxes are carried
over to another machine which presses
three strands of the moss together and
winds 1t on long spools. These spools
are PASSED to still another machine where
small girls and boIs feed the twisted
moss onto smaller spools about which
they are tightly wound. Five of these
spools are placed on the braiding
machine and passing In and out in rapid
motion the strands of moss are plated
into strong rope strong enough to hang
q man. In this department Mr.. Clark
says the company will employ twenty
three hands. paying the unskilled boys
and girls IS cents per day, those some
what skilled 81 per day. and the experts
as high as So per day. OFF to one SIDE of
this machinery room are the engine room
aud boiler house. The engine is beauty
built after the Corlss pattern and is thirty
horse power. Passing upstairs into the
manuf cturing room the foreman,
L. D. Knigb., who is also the
pstentee Of the process of max
ing the collars, was found
Here the moss is worked into the collars,
the leather is cut out in proper shapes
and dimensions and the sewing is done.
Mr.. Knight explained the process fully.
but it would be nearly impossible to put
1t on paper without using many technical
phrases understood only by
those in the collar making in
dustry In this department fourteen
persons are at present employed who are
skilled snd paid by the piece. Ia addi-
ton to collars the company will make
cushions of all kinds, horse blankets,
pads, floor mats, mattresses and other
and then much larger force
will be employed. Mr.. Knight
says the company will patronize the
Queen City Tsnnery and buy all the Fort
Worth made leather than they can use,
and thus one industry assists and builds |
up another. 1t was quite sight to see
the girls, boys, Young women and middle |
aged women and men at work, all ensbled |
to gain a livelihood and being consumers !
ss well as producers, aiding in two !
ways in the upbuiIdipg of our |
city. The citizens of Fort Worth who |
have invested their money in this enter
prise have done well, and 1t is good |
org step in the right direction. Messrs.
Moor, Knight and Clark are all expe-
fenced in their different departments,
md will surely make success of the
work in hand.